Symptoms of HIV disease

Abstract

Forty patients with symptomatic HIV disease were asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of an outpatient consultation. They reported the presence and intensity of their symptoms and ranked them by the distress caused. The doctor who had seen each patient completed a parallel questionnaire. Significantly more symptoms were reported by patients than by the doctors. Doctors seemed to have the best general awareness of symptoms that were either overt (e.g. skin problems, weight loss) or suggestive of serious conditions (e.g. cough). Patients appeared more aware of, and distressed by, other symptoms (e.g. anorexia, insomnia). The correlations between doctor and patient ratings of the same symptom were generally poor; the symptoms most accurately identified were usually either overt or suggestive of serious disease. Although many symptoms reported by people with HIV disease are not life-threatening, they cause distress and are treatable. When patients have many problems doctors focus on the most urgent, but increased awareness of other symptoms may improve the quality of life of these patients.